From the Booking Desk:

If you attend crime fiction-related conventions, you no doubt know Cathy Ace. Cathy is boisterous and witty, but also unassuming and unpretentious. Successful in writing across styles – from the cozy end of the spectrum to her more recent psychological suspense outing – Cathy is whip-smart and a wonderful conversationalist. No convention is complete for me until I have been able to spend some time with Cathy – preferably over a few French Martinis. If you haven’t had the chance to meet this delightful human being yet, please allow me to introduce you.

Name: Cathy Ace
Location: About 40 miles east of Downtown Vancouver,

British Columbia, Canada

This person from my personal life is such an inspiration:

This has to be THREE people; my mum and dad and my sister, each for a different reason. When my short story Dear George was produced for BBC Radio 4, Mum, Dad and my sister, Sue, listened to it live in Swansea, while my husband and I listened to it in Canada; we all almost burst with pride. I mean…it was on the BBC! Dad’s death shortly thereafter made me realize I might not be immortal after all, and that if I was going to write more crime fiction I’d better get on with it. So I did. I’m pleased to say Mum’s still alive and well, and she and Sue are my first readers for everything I write…thirteen novels and two collections of short stories and novellas so far. Every time something I’ve written is published Mum’s voice is thick with emotion when she says, β€œDaddy would be so proud of you.”

One of the people I admire most in the crime fiction community is:

This is a really difficult question to answer because I have been so kindly, and generously, treated by so many people within our small and warm community, and there are inspiring role models aplenty. But I have to plump for Catriona McPherson. After a late-evening arrival in March 2014, I walked into the bar (surprise, surprise!) at Left Coast Crime in Monterey. Catriona was huddled with a small group, and was most welcoming. We started to chat – and we hit it off immediately. I was a bit star-struck because I knew she was β€œThe Dandy Gilver Woman”, shortlisted for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award that year (she won), but she couldn’t have been more inclusive of an unknown author with a second book coming out to absolutely no fanfare whatsoever. Since then I have been amazed and inspired by her work ethic and talent (I don’t know how she writes and promotes so many excellent books each year, of such different types) and her genuinely warm, generous and bubbly persona. She never seems to stop in terms of her own work, nor in terms of supporting and promoting other authors. I was chuffed to bits that she agreed to interview me when I was Toastmaster at Left Coast Crime earlier this year – a wonderful β€œfull circle” moment.

STALKER ALERT! If this fictional character were real, they would likely need to get a restraining order against me:

Doctor Who. Every incarnation. I have watched Doctor Who since it began – I’m part of the original Doctor Who generation, and am so pleased with what Russell T Davies did with the reboot. Brilliant. I still watch every episode at least three times. Favourite episodes? Blink, Turn Left, The End of Time and The Day of The Doctor. (Whovians – let the debate begin!) I’m also extraordinarily proud that not only do I know β€œRussell” from my days in West Glamorgan Youth Arts, but that Alex Kingston, aka Dr. River Song, was the actress who read my short story Dear George when it was produced for the BBC.

People are always surprised that I am a fan of this individual (singer, actor, or artist):

I’m not sure the topic has ever come up, so it may or may not surprise people to discover I am a HUGE fan of David Bowie. I swear there’s a Bowie song for every moment of my life – sad, happy, hurt, or just reflective. His words and music have been the soundtrack of my life (inside my head, in any case). Just today I was driving when β€œChanges” was played on the radio; I cannot believe the changes that have taken place in my life since I first heard that song. I bought every album from Hunky Dory onwards with saved-up pocket money (I caught up later on with the earlier releases) and still have them all. I cried with a many-times-broken heart as a teen to those albums, have bounced around in delight listening to them, and have used them to sooth me in times of real depression and loss. Posters of Bowie (and Bolan, to be fair) covered my bedroom walls, and I still feel the sting of Ziggy no longer playing guitar.

My personal catch phrase is:

β€œDon’t dream it, be it.”

Shamelessly pinched from The Rocky Horror Show. Tim Curry ran a close second in the question about me stalking someone, not just because of his portrayal of Dr Frankenfurter (I saw him in the play in London, when it ran originally…on a trip with the Girl Guides, of all things, and watch the movie at least once a year, even now) but also because of his incredible acting talent in general…and that voice! His National Theatre performances in London in the 1980s were breathtaking – I saw him in all three roles, twice each!